Contemporary outdoor gas grills often utilize dual gas burners that are controlled by a common dual gas valve assembly. A typical dual gas valve assembly has a single feed supply line that delivers gas to a pair of valves which in turn selectively supplies gas to the individual burners in the gas grill. Conventional methods of connecting the gas supply line to the valves include using a manifold fitting with a plurality of ports. The ports are often threaded internally or externally, in order to enhance connectability of the gas inlet line and the valves.
The problem with conventional threaded pipe connections is that they are slow to assemble in a high-speed manufacturing environment. Further, they require additional manufacturing steps including cutting threads, either internally or externally, into the fitting or the manifold. Also, the pipe or member that is to be connected to the manifold must be threaded. Such designs increase the per unit cost and require special machines for production.
Other problems with conventional threaded pipe connections for gas valve assemblies is the difficulty of obtaining the proper alignment of the two valves relative to the face plate of the gas grill. Typical face plates for gas grills include prepunched holes that allow the valve stems to extend therethrough. Thus, the valve stems must be concentric with the prepunched holes in the face plate. Failure to maintain such alignment creates a visually displeasing appearance. It has been problematic to maintain the distal relationship between the valve stems when the gas manifold assembly is threaded. This in part because the angular displacement caused by threading the parts together creates a variable in the manufacturing process. It is preferred to remove this variable from the manufacturing process in order to improve product quality. This can be accomplished in part by maintaining the distal relationship of the centerline of each valve stem by creating a stop between the valves and the manifold.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a dual gas valve assembly that either eliminates or minimizes the number of threaded connections, has enhanced manufacturability, can be formed in a minimal number of steps, can be mass produced, yet still produce a gas tight connection by way of a threadless mechanical stake. There is also a need for an assembly that has an alignment feature for promptly and accurately joining a valve to a manifold in high speed manufacturing environments.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dual valve and manifold system that overcomes the problems mentioned above. Such a manifold system should be simple in design, minimize the number of operations required by an operator to create such an assembly, and minimize the number of tools that are required to perform such an operation while still being capable of providing a mechanical joint with significant joint integrity.
One of the preferred forms of the present invention provides as one of its aspects, a fitting having a fluid delivery bore connected to a central chamber, a first elongated section extending from the central chamber, a second elongated section extending from the central chamber, and a crimped portion located at an end of the elongated sections for securing the fitting to first and second control valves. A first control valve has a main body with a central fluid passage. The first control valve further has an outwardly extending member with an internal fluid passage. A second control valve with a main body has a central fluid passage. The second valve further has a member with an internal fluid passage and a member which extends outwardly from the main body.
For a more complete understanding of the dual valve assembly, reference is made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which the presently preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. Because the invention may take on several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it is expressly understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Throughout the following description and drawings, identical reference numbers refer to the same component throughout the several views.